Habitat For Humanity Still Looking To Fill Home In El Reno

Central Oklahoma Habitat For Humanity said there are a lot of deserving families in need of a home. However, their hands are tied if someone doesn't meet the required qualifications.

A home in El Reno still sits vacant after being built by Habitat for Humanity for a family impacted by last year’s devastating tornado.

“The last thing I remember was an explosion,” El Reno resident Ricardo Escalante said.

The Escalante family was in their El Reno home when a tornado hit Memorial Day weekend in 2019. Fast forward to February 2020, News 9 sat down with the family who were expecting to move into a Habitat for Humanity home.

Related: Habitat For Humanity To Start Building Home For Family Who Survived El Reno Tornado

“We've met with them several times and gotten to know them, so we are really looking forward to helping them rebuild their lives,” Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity board member Ann Felton Gilliland said.

Habitat for Humanity said the deal fell apart after they learned the family had already purchased another home. Soon after a For Sale sign went up, El Reno resident Alisa Hamlett put her name in the hat.  

“I took my kids over there and we went inside and looked at the house,” Hamlett said. “We thought we were getting it.”

The tornado also destroyed Hamlett’s home, leaving her and her seven children without a place to live. She applied for the home but said her excitement turned to heartache.

“The letter said because of not being on my job one year’s time that I did not qualify according to their criteria,” Hamlett said.

In a statement, Habitat for Humanity said in part:

“We really try to set these families up for success. Unfortunately, in this case, Alisa Hamlett did not meet our basic requirements,” a Habitat for Humanity statement said, in part.

“We're trying. We'll get a house as soon as we can,” Hamlett said.

Habitat for Humanity said the house is still on the market for the next eligible family.